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  • - And if you wait to be perfect,

  • then you won't get the natural practice that you need,

  • and you won't enjoy speaking in English,

  • which is the number one reason

  • why most people want to learn this language.

  • (music)

  • Hello, this is Jack from tofluency.com,

  • and in this lesson I'm going to share five tips

  • to help you overcome your fear of speaking in English.

  • And this will help you become

  • a more confident English speaker.

  • It is important to overcome this fear

  • if you want to make progress,

  • but also because most people who learn English

  • want to do so, so that they can have conversations.

  • And if you are too fearful to speak

  • then you'll never do what you want to do,

  • which is to talk to people in English.

  • So, be sure to watch all this tips

  • and then at the end of the video,

  • I need your feedback.

  • Tip one is this:

  • Know that native speakers don't care if you make mistakes.

  • This is vitally important to know

  • because the number one fear that people have

  • when they speak in English is that other

  • people are going to laugh at them when they make mistakes.

  • I'm sure you have this fear too,

  • that people will judge you or say something

  • if you make a mistake when speaking in English.

  • But again, the majority of native speakers

  • won't make fun of you.

  • And in fact, we are so used to hearing different accents,

  • the different ways that non-native speakers speak.

  • And also, the mistakes that people make on a regular basis,

  • that we don't really care about it.

  • We're used to hearing this.

  • What we care about is making that connection with you.

  • Know that there will be times when someone

  • will laugh when you say something.

  • This has happened to me so many times in Spanish.

  • People have laughed at the way I said something

  • or they smiled or I said something

  • that didn't make any sense.

  • And the key is just to embrace it, enjoy it,

  • to know that you are going to make mistakes when you speak.

  • And tip number four is going

  • to help you overcome this problem.

  • But for now, know that native speakers,

  • again, don't care when you make mistakes.

  • Tip number two is to get out of your comfort zone.

  • Now, your comfort zone is where you feel comfortable.

  • It's where things are easy,

  • it's where you don't really have to make any big effort.

  • When it comes to learning English,

  • this maybe lying in your bed and watching YouTube videos.

  • But in order to make meaningful improvements,

  • it's important to get out of your comfort zone

  • if you need to do this.

  • And this is important when it comes to speaking to,

  • and it can be difficult to take that first step

  • in order to get the practice that you need.

  • But I'm here to tell you to make that extra effort

  • to do something that might be a little bit uncomfortable

  • at first so that you can make the progress you want to make.

  • Tip number three is going to tell you how.

  • What I want you to do is this,

  • take a baby step.

  • Now, taking a baby step means taking a small step.

  • Something where you just get a little bit

  • outside of your comfort zone,

  • so then it's not too overwhelming or too difficult at first.

  • When it comes to overcoming your fear

  • of speaking in English,

  • what I recommend to do is to find a person

  • who you can practice with.

  • Just one person, somebody who you can practice with

  • on a one to one basis.

  • Someone who you like and someone who you trust.

  • Practicing with this person

  • will help you build up your confidence.

  • And after a while, you'll start thinking,

  • "This isn't so bad,

  • I don't have that fear of speaking anymore,

  • instead I'm excited to speak in English."

  • And then you'll find yourself taking advantage

  • of other speaking opportunities.

  • For example, speaking up in class when you know the answer.

  • But it's all about taking that first step

  • so that you can build up your confidence.

  • So, look for a teacher,

  • a language exchange partner

  • or a friend who can help you.

  • Tip four is so important and it's this:

  • improving your level doesn't necessarily mean

  • that you're going to have more confidence

  • when speaking in English.

  • I know people who have really high levels of English

  • but they still have a fear of speaking in English.

  • And I also know people who have lower levels

  • but they are super confident and they're always speaking.

  • Now, the reason why those with high levels don't speak

  • is because they're waiting to be perfect.

  • They want to be perfect before they start speaking.

  • But you have to let this idea of perfection go.

  • No one is perfect and if you wait to be perfect

  • then you won't get the natural practice that you need,

  • and you won't enjoy speaking in English,

  • which is the number one reason

  • why most people want to learn this language.

  • So, don't wait for perfection.

  • Take that baby step today in order to improve.

  • Having said that, it's still important to improve

  • your speaking because when you have a higher level

  • and when you say things in an ultimatic and natural way,

  • you'll enjoy speaking more.

  • And, you'll be able to talk about a variety

  • of topics with different people.

  • Now, I have a method that is going to help you with this.

  • Here it is.

  • Firstly, learn the sounds of English.

  • Know what to do with your mouth

  • in order to produce the correct sounds.

  • And then, start imitating English speakers.

  • Do this by finding sentences and phrases

  • with audio and repeat them.

  • Record your version,

  • compare it to the original

  • and then make any necessary changes you need to make.

  • Now, you might have to get out

  • of your comfort zone to do this,

  • because it isn't so easy.

  • It isn't as easy as watching YouTube videos.

  • And you might not like the sound of your own voice,

  • but this method is powerful.

  • And then once you have made changes,

  • get long-term repetition.

  • Repeat these sentences and phrases over time

  • in the most effective way.

  • Now, I have a program that gives you the full method

  • and the materials that you need in order to follow these.

  • So, learn more about that at tofluency.com/tfp.

  • Now, I want to hear from you.

  • Please let me know what has stopped you

  • in the past from speaking in English.

  • Think about specific situation

  • where you have the opportunity to speak

  • but you didn't and what stopped you from speaking.

  • And then once you have left your comment,

  • check out my other videos to help you

  • improve your speaking and become more confident.

  • Thank you so much for watching.

  • (upbeat music)

- And if you wait to be perfect,

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